Drained
by Miserable Midori
Summary: AU. Shuichi Shindou lives in a world where he feels his life isn't valued. People make fun of him, and life gets harder. It's hard being alone. Is there anybody out there that would ever care about him, despite how different he is? Shu x Yuki


Disclaimer: Maki Murakami owns Gravitation. I'm just another individual trying to survive the life of being a teenager.

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Chapter 1: Arrival

It was currently 8:00 am in the city of Tokyo. A plane with the words "Japan Airlines" painted in blue letters was about 200 feet above ground level, and it was about to land at its destination at the busy Narita Airport. Flight attendants inside the plane were ordered to sit down for landing.

Five minutes later, the plane finally reached the ground and made its way to the gate where all the passengers were to get off. A flight attendant, whose voice sounded like an elderly man's, boomed on the speakers. The volume was intense, and in result, woke up a young boy with the hair the color of cotton candy.

"Alright passengers…we have arrived in Tokyo. The time currently is 8…8:06 am. As soon as we arrive at the gate, the seatbelt sign will go off. Please remain in your seats with your seatbelts securely fastened until we have come to a complete stop. Feel free to check with one of our flight attendants if you have any questions regarding connecting flights. Baggage claim is at Claim A2."

Two minutes later, the plane came to a halt and the seatbelt sign went off. The sounds of seatbelts unbuckling filled the plane, and people got up and started opening their compartments to retrieve their belongings. Soon, the isle-ways formed a long line of people, who were eager to get off the plane.

The young boy with hair the color of cotton candy was still seated, gazing out the window. He could see a vehicle pulling a train of white freight cars, and he wondered what they were for. But after a short time, he remembered his mom telling him that the freight cars contained the baggage that people brought along with them. He was 5 when she explained this to him. But his mom…his dad…Maiko-chan…

Usually, when the boy traveled more than 50 miles away from his home, his family was with him. They were always with him. But not now…and never again…

Never again...

The line of people started to move like cars caught in traffic. Pretty soon, the gaps between the people walking down the isle increased, and it was a signal for the boy to stand up. He grabbed his backpack from the seat in front of him and walked down the isle until he exited the plane.

* * *

The boy really needed to use the bathroom, but since he hadn't been to Narita Airport since he was 5, he didn't want to get lost and lose sight of the people who rode the same plane. He was supposed to follow the people to the baggage claim since he didn't remember anyone telling him were to retrieve the luggage, but he couldn't suppress the urge to commit to the toilet.

_Damn it, Shuichi! You and your stupid bladder!_ the boy thought. Airports were pretty big, and he still never got used to them. He only remembered traveling on a plane twice, this time being his third. So technically, he didn't know much about how airports ran their business.

So what will it be? Bathroom? Or baggage?

But since he'd much rather wet his pants then lose his luggage, he decided to follow the last remaining people he remembered seeing on the plane to wherever he was supposed to be heading to at the moment. He looked around, but didn't recognize any familiar faces that were on his plane, and his heart started to beat rapidly. If he never found anybody he could follow, how was he going to get his personal belongings? Then, he saw the old couple, both with white hair. He remembered them was sitting behind him. His heart started beating normally again.

He followed them through the huge crowds of people, and then the boy, Shuichi, started to get restless and wondered whether the old couple were really going to the baggage claim or not. Then the old couple, suddenly took interest at a clothing store, and the boy felt like wetting his pants right then and there. He promised himself that after this, he would definitely use the toilet.

He watched as the old couple purchased a container with several mugs the size of a thumb, and they finally took off and started walking again. Shuichi, who was sitting on a bench, got up and followed the couple, hoping they wouldn't make any more stops.

After several stairs and escalators, the couple approached a sign that said "Claim A2", and finally arrived at the baggage claim. Shuichi was so relieved that he finally got there, but the tension in his bladder stared to worsen.

After a couple of minutes--and more suffering on Shuichi's part--the boy with the cotton candy hair found his luggage (a large maroon-colored suitcase), and made his way to the nearest bathroom. But then he was greeted with more suffering when he found a long line.

_I really HATE airports._

He suddenly noticed a couple of guys who looked around his age or older, giving him funny looks. There were four of them, and one of them with dark black "well-groomed" hair and dark eyes kept giving him looks that made Shuichi feel…funny. He couldn't describe that feeling, but it made him feel like he was the prey and they were the predators waiting to pounce on him. But for some odd reason, Shuichi recognized the guy with dark hair from somewhere. But…where?

Another guy from the predator group with long golden blonde hair with sunglasses started whispering to the guy with choppy brown hair, his eyes never leaving the boy with the troubled bladder. The fourth guy, who also had dark hair but droopy eyes, kept staring at something on Shuichi's shirt, and when Shuichi looked down, there was nothing interesting.

_What is so interesting about my shirt? Does he have a thing for yellow or something? _Shuichi thought.

Shuichi decided to go into a stall instead of the public toilet that guys normally use, and he quickly locked the door and made sure it was securely locked so no "perverted" freak would play the role as a Peeping Tom. Even though all of the people in the bathroom had the same gender, Shuichi could never trust them. Not like last time…

The tension in his bladder was finally cured. He zipped up his shorts and flushed the toilet, remembering to put the toilet bowl down (his mom scolded him for not doing it when he was still in Elementary School). He was about to leave when he remembered those four guys, and he hoped they were gone or too busy to see him leave or something. Guys that stared at him because of his girly looks always seemed to be everywhere. He hated that. And that's why he had no friends, and now he was all alone…no more family to be there for him either…

Tears made its way down his heart-shaped face. He used his sleeve to wipe them away, not wishing to walk out looking like he had just came from a funeral. His mind then remembered the predator group, and he decided to count to 50. On 50, he would finally open the door. It would give them enough time to leave before they see him.

_47…48…49…_the boy unlocked the door_…50! _

Shuichi opened the door and walked out with his luggage trailing behind him. He tried to ignore some of the stares he got from other guys, but he could feel himself blushing as he made his way through the long line of men and out the door. The boy didn't remember seeing any of the predator group members as he made his way out, and he was glad.

Now…all he needed to do was find a phone booth to call his Aunt Nakano…

* * *

"Hey Aniki!" the same boy with dark hair and dark eyes waved at a black BMV car arriving at the pick-up zone. His three other friends, Taki, Ken, and Ma-kun leaned against the cement wall of the Narita Airport, disappointed that the grumpy, arrogant, but famous "romance" novelist was picking them up.

"Geez Tatsuha, I thought Tohma Seguchi was going to pick us up in his limo or something!" the guy named Taki scowled.

"Oi, big bro has a really nice car! It came from America too! You all should be lucky that you'll be able to ride it! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!" replied the guy called Tatsuha.

His three friends were used to him defending his older brother, the famous Yuki Eiri: The 18 year old guy who wrote some of the best-selling romance novels in the world. The guy who got his first book published when he was 16. The guy that girls got starry eyed over when his name was mentioned. The guy who drove a black BMW that was shipped from America. The guy who was cold and said hurtful things whenever possible. The guy whose smoked cigarettes. The guy that screwed different women every week, or sometimes, every night. The same guy who was scowling at the boys to "hurry up and pack your crap into the trunk and don't damage the leather seats or else."

The boys reluctantly did what they were ordered to do and crammed themselves into the backseat of the BMW, careful not to damage the leather so they wouldn't face the wrath of Yuki Eiri. Tatsuha sat in the seat next to his brother.

"You stupid brats better not do anything in my car, or I'll throw you and your crap out," Yuki's bored voice snapped. "Damn Tohma. If he didn't have a stupid conference then I'd never have to act like your driver. I feel like I'm spoiling you."

Tatsuha took out a piece of pink bubblegum, and suddenly remembered the teenage boy with the pink hair he saw earlier in the men's bathroom. The boy who looked somewhat like the famous rockstar, Sakuma Ryuchi.

"What about Mika? Tohma could have asked her to pick us up instead of burdening you with us."

"She told me that she had some fucking errand to do. Now shut the hell up Tatsuha, 'cause you're giving me another migraine."

Silence…

Tatsuha couldn't handle the silence anymore, so he turned on the radio, which was currently playing an old traditional Japanese song with an old man as the vocalist. This earned a glare from Yuki, and Tatsuha reluctantly turned off the radio.

Silence yet again…

"Hey Tat, remember that weird girly looking guy we saw in the bathroom? Man, I don't even know if that person was male OR female. I saw no boobs." Taki's voice interrupted the silence. Tatsuha's mind returned to the pink haired boy Taki described.

"Hai, of coarse I remember! Who could forget a face like that? But then again…it was sort of strange that a girl was in a guy's bathroom-"

"I told you! That WASN'T a girl! NO BOOBS! How gay is that?"

Ken and Ma-kun joined the conversation.

"Maybe it's a girl who was born with a dick. But then again…she still could've used the chicks' bathroom."

"WTF! A girl with a dick? WTF Ken!"

"But still…whatever gender that dude is, he's got violet eyes like Sakuma-sama!"

"Dude, Tatsuha…you're still IN LOVE with Sakuma Ryuichi? He does sing really well, but dude…he's a DUDE!"

"Taki! DON'T DISS SAKUMA-SAMA!"

"But I'm just saying he was a guy. It's the truth!"

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT THE HELL UP? IF WE END UP IN A CAR ACCIDENT, TELL THE DOCTORS AND THAT DAMN TOHMA WHY I ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL!"

"Seesh, Aniki! We are just talking!"

"Just. Shut. The. Hell. Up. Before. I. Leave. You. On. The. Side. Of. The. Road."

Silence once again. The four teenagers have been around the famous Yuki long enough to know that once he says "shut the hell up", you better shut the hell up. Tatsuha was probably the only one used to it. He was Yuki's younger brother anyway. Self-explanatory.

"And that guy with the pink hair you brats were talking about…that individual probably has some fucked up life and decided he had nothing better to do in life except hook up with other guys. But don't start another conversation or I'll throw you and your crap outta here!"

"My my, Aniki. You're so vulgar for a writer."

"Alright, that's it."

7-3-05 – to be continued….

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**Hello all! I'm Michelle, and this is my first Gravitation fanfic!**

I've seen all the episodes and read up to volume 4 of the manga, so I'll try to keep the characters less OOC as possible. Except Shuichi. This story will have quite a bit of angst in it, so you can expect Shuichi being a little OOC instead of the usual bouncy self he is. I'll try to update weekly, but when next school year starts again, I may only update once a month. I don't know how many chapters this story will take up, but I just want to write enough that will cover the plot. It will definitely be more than 10 chapters, so you can expect a veeerrrrry long story.

If you have any questions, you can email me and I'll try to reply back as soon as possible. Just in case nothing makes sense, just wait for the future chapters because the plot will eventually emerge as time goes by. And I'm sorry if you don't think my story is worth reading, but this is an AU fic, and I just wanted to try something new. Constructive criticism is accepted, but please don't be too harsh on me. If you have any suggestions, feel free to say so, though please say it in a nice way.

Anyway, please review and I'll see you all next update! IO may even read some of YOUR fanfics!


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